5 Alternate Video Game Endings You Never Knew About

Video games are often full of surprises, easter eggs, and even sometimes alternate endings. It's not uncommon nowadays for many narrative games to have branching pathways in their story. It gives players a sense of weight when making a decision, knowing they might have to reap the repercussions later on. However, it takes a special type of player, one who thinks outside the box, to get these alternate video game endings. And to be honest, we wouldn't be talking about alternate endings if gamers didn't know these games like the back of their hands.

This is due to the difficulty in obtaining these alternate endings. After all, developers usually hide them in the most bizarre places and require the most absurd tasks to complete them. But, whether it's a simple question or a series of 20 micro steps that must all be executed flawlessly, it wasn't enough to keep some players from discovering these alternate video game endings. So, if you're ready for some surprises and spoilers (of course), let's look at some game endings you might not have known existed.

5. The Stanley Parable – Art Ending

The Stanley Parable really is a rollercoaster of a video game. The entire point of the game is to go beyond the gaming stereotypes we've all become accustomed to in order to achieve all of the game's alternate endings. One of the game's 19 alternate endings, to be exact. However, in a satirical game like this one, you can't always ignore the obvious because it might not be as sarcastic as you think, and you may end up being the gullible one.

For example, if you want to end up at the baby game, you must do a list of things that the narrator does not want you to do. It's a simple game in which a dummy baby crawls towards a fire and you must press a big red button to reset him and prevent him from crawling into the fire. Not exactly what we had in mind when we imagined a baby game. The games is generally loud and tedious, and most of us abandon the baby after a few clicks.

However, the narrator does state that the game becomes clear after four hours of play. That literally means hitting that button over and over for four hours straight in order to keep the baby from crawling into the fire. Well, one gamer did exactly that in order to obtain an alternate ending, which is a personal anecdote from the developer, jokingly thanking you for playing his nonsensical game.

4. Batman: Arkham City – Catwomen Ending

Since the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, which was a groundbreaking title at the time, the Batman: Arkham series has been a fan favorite. As a result, many players flocked to the sequel, Batman: Arkham City, in 2011. This sequel includes DLC that puts you in the shoes of Batman's somewhat ally, Catwomen. And included in the video game DLC is an alternate ending to the series that most people didn't expect to see.

During one mission, while performing your regular cat burglary, as Catwomen does, you have the option of walking away with the jewels or assisting Batman, who has been trapped under a mass of debris by Dr. Hugo. Catwomen talks to herself and tries to persuade you to save him, but the decision is entirely yours. In this alternate ending, you can go left and help Batman, or right and see the DLC end with Batman dead.

3. Silent Hill 2 – Dog Ending

Silent Hill 2 was one of the most intense and terrifying horror games on the market for its time. Even now, the game would have our hands shaking as we tried to navigate its thrilling plot. It is, however, a game with multiple endings, some more serious than others. That is, Konami included a secret, comedic ending to the dark thriller that you can unlock after beating the game three times. Then in a New Game Plus, there should be a doghouse with a dog key in it.

Later, you use that dog key to unlock the Observation Room on the third floor of the hotel, revealing your ending. The mastermind behind the whole scheme is none other than what appears to be a dog in an operating room. The character James Sunderland then collapses to the ground, and the game ends with a lovely dog background and barking soundtrack. While Silent Hill 2 is a dark and serious video game, this alternate ending adds a lighthearted twist to an otherwise dramatic story.

2. Mass Effect Trilogy – The Deadliest Path

The Mass Effect series has always been a popular video game series, owing to its concept of consequential narrative decisions which stem from the game's multiple endings. That's why, as you're probably aware, the story in the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 and 3 can unfold in a variety of ways. However, in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, there is a possible ending if you end up messing up and making all the wrong decisions correctly. Which, believe it or not, is actually quite difficult to do, in order to achieve this unfortunate ending.

That's because you have to make the exact wrong choices, in every situation, across all three games, to get the worst possible ending. If you pull it off successfully, the only major character left alive is Joker, the rest are all dead. This really is the ending of ultimate failure. However, it's not often you get a video game that grants the worst possible outcome for one of its alternative endings.

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Dragon Homecoming Ending

Obtaining an alternate video game ending that you were unaware existed is already as difficult as it sounds; impossible. To make matters worse, attempting to find an unattainable alternate ending in one of FromSoftware's already arduous titles is equivalent to asking to be tortured. However, if you're up for the task, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has an alternate ending you never knew existed because it is the most difficult to achieve.

There are 15 exact steps that you must take in order to achieve the difficult ending of this game. There's even a point in the story where if you mess up, you can't turn back, forcing you to restart everything. However, gamers who have completed the task and obtained the ending have stated that it was well worth it. Since this is considered to be the true ending to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. However, no true ending should be these absurdly hard to discover, but who else but FromSoftware to deliver it?

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? Are there other alternate video game endings that we should know about? Let us know in the comments below or over on our socials here!